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Kintamani
There are two possible options
for staying near Lake Batur: up on the ridge or down inside
the crater. The villages within the crater tend to have a
rather unpleasant atmosphere with a lot of people hassling
you. The views, however, are stunning. The main reason to
spend the night in the crater is to climb Mt. Batur at dawn.
There are several attractions
from Penelokan, starting with the view from the crater rim
toward Lake Batur. Rim temples include Pura Ulun Danu Batur
and Pura Tegeh Kuripan, both on the main road. A visit to
the crater might include a boat trip to the traditional village
of Trunyan, the lava fields, the hot spring at Toya Bungkah,
or climbing Mt. Batur.
The best way to visit the crater
is with your own transportation or chartered minibus. Walking
is possible, but distances are long and the descent into the
crater is very steep. You might want to finish your visit
with a dip in the lake.
Penelokan and the crater villages
are rather "un-Balinese" with vendors hassling you
and people approaching you in the street to book accommodations.
There's a local authority charge
of Rp550 per person for any car with tourists crossing into
the region, plus Rp250 for the car. A similar fee is charged
in Toya Bungkah.
Kintamani is the end-point of
several tour itineraries heading up from the lower rice plain
in the south. Most buses come up the good, scenic road via
Tampaksiring, with stops on the way at Goa Gajah, Gunung Kawi
and Tirta Empul, then going back down through Bangli and Pura
Kehen. But there are other interesting routes. One leads from
Peliatan in the Ubud area through the wood-carvers' villages
of Tegallalang, Pujung and Sebatu. The views along the way
are superb. Other roads from Ubud to
Kintamani run through Payangan
or from Denpasar through the Sangeh monkey forest, Plaga and
Lampu, arriving to the north of Kintamani.
Bemos to Kintamani are available
from Ubud via Sakah (notable for its huge "Baby"
statue). They also run via Tampaksiring and Bangli.
From Denpasar bemos leave for
Kintamani from the Batubulan terminal until late afternoon.
The normal fare from Batubulan is Rp2,000 and from Singaraja
Rp4,000. Rent a motorbike or car if you want to explore the
great back roads in the Kintamani area.
Shuttle buses which run between
Ubud and Singaraja stop in Penelokan. From Ubud $4.50-$7,
from Singaraja $9-$11.
Alternatively, you can also
join a day tour and ride up in air conditioned comfort, lunch
included. On such tours, however, you will only see the view
of Penelokan and then return, missing the caldera and the
lake down the Kedisan road.
Charter bemos from Penelokan
to Kedisan cost Rp5,000; Kedisan to Toya Bungkah Rp. 1,000
by bemo or Rp.20,000-Rp.25,000 for charter bemo, depending
on your bargaining skills.
To Trunyan from Kedisan
Down inside the caldera you
can cross to the lake village of Trunyan either from Kedisan
or from Toya Bungkah. Be warned that the people here can be
quite aggressive and the government has long advised tour
operators not to send tourists to Trunyan.
In Toya Bungkah, the normal
"tourist" price is $16 (including insurance) for
the round trip for a ful I boat of seven. Don't expect to
pay the local price. In Kedisan, the round trip costs about
$20 per boat, with a price per person decreasing to $3 per
person is the boat is full. If you are tired of bargaining
hassles, simply hike around the crater to Trunyan.
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Eating
In Kintamani
The better places are attached
to the hotels in Penelokan up on the calderas and down in
Toya Bungkah by the hot springs. Penelokan has choices ranging
from very simple and cheap places with good local food to
big fancy restaurants, which cater to tour groups from the
expensive hotels on the coast.
The local lake fish is a tasty
variety called be mujahir, available fried or grilled. It's
best fried crisp-more of the fish is edible.
A good place for lunch (and
one of the few on the rim open for evening meals) is the Lakeview.
Prices here are moderate, but they are geared up for tour
group buffet lunches.
The Batur Garden Restaurant
has an interesting menu of Chinese and Indonesian dishes,
as well as Western bar drinks. Friendly and reasonably priced.
Lunch only.
Gunawan Restaurant is very popular
with a great view on the edge of the crater. There are many
other giant, palatial restaurants on the other side of the
street, but most overlook South Bali. Buffet or menu. Great
mujahir soup. Approx. Rp 7000 per entree; buffet $4.50, plus
21% tax.
Down in the crater at Toya Bungkah,
most losmen have small restaurants (warung), and new eating
places are springing up all the time. Our recommendation is
Nyoman Mawa's Under The Volcano. His lake fish with homemade
sambal matah is worth the trip to the mountains alone.
Kintamani Activities
Check out our Activities & holiday Page
If you've always wanted to walk
around inside the crater of an active volcano, here's your
chance. Mt. Batur is 1,717 m high, but the upper cone itself
is only several hundred meters above the level of the lake
and can be climbed and descended in a few hours. At the top,
there's a warm crust of ground over the cauldron. Be sure
to hire a guide, as it can be dangerous.
Each home stay can recommend
a guide. Under the Volcano has guides for $12 per person;
other home stays charge $18-$19.
It's best to start very early
in the morning, around 4 am: it's cool and you're likely to
see a wonderful sunrise. Your guide will probably find you
before you find him. Choose someone friendly who is not charging
a ridiculous amount of money: $4-5 is a fair price. Gede at
Gede's Trekking near Kintamani market is a helpful contact.
Another professional trekking guide service is Panorama Tourist
Services, located near the Toya Bungkah Hot Spring. They also
organize other trekking trips in the area.
There are several well-marked
approaches to Batur. From Pura Jati, near Kedisan (where a
large sign announces "Klim Prom Here-Please Polow, Wite
Plag"), and from Toya Bungkah where the climb up and
back takes about three hours. The latter route is notably
easier.
Wear high-top shoes: the slopes
are covered with fine dust. Other necessary supplies are drinking
water and a snack or two. On reaching the summit your guide
will boil some eggs (in the sand) and make coffee. If you're
fortunate, a great view stretching all the way to Lombok will
be revealed as the sun rises.
Going down is much easier than
climbing up and it's possible to take another route down,
via the hot spring at Toya Bungkah. Ask your guide to have
a car ready to bring you back to the original starting point
once you get down. The spring, set in a concrete pool, is
not overly spectacular. Entrance is $1
This trip is not recommended during the rainy season (November-April).
There's a good new road that
circles the volcano rim from Penulisan east to Pinggan and
Blandingan, where it comes to a dead end. Another route is
to drive past Toya Bungkah to Songan and follow the sign west
to Air Mampeh. The road leads to Penelokan through the caldera
behind Batur. It is sometimes difficult to pass because of
volcanic sand and stones
HOT SPRINGS
The public bathing spot at the
Toya Bungkah Hot Springs is free and frequented mostly by
Indonesians. There is now a large swimming facility, Tirta
Sanjiwani, set in a lovely garden just above the lake. Two
hot spring pools plus a huge regular swimming pool. You can
take a personal spa for $25, including a massage in your own
little spa and bale. $10 adults, $7.50 children. |
